Marking tape



June 2, 1964 C. D. SHORT MARKING TAPE Filed June 4, 1962 INVENTOR.

CHARLES D. SHORT United States Patent 3,135,533 MARKING TAPE flharles D. Short, Rochester, N.Y., assignor to Kee Lox ll/ianufacturing Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 4, 1962, Ser. No. 199,891 2 Claims. (El. 282-19) This invention relates to a novel marking tape, and more particularly to a novel marking tape for attachment to articles of apparel or the like for identification purposes.

There are many occasions when it is desired to mark articles of clothing and the like with an indelible identifying indicia such as the owners name to reduce the likelihood of loss. It is often undesirable in such cases to apply the marking material such as, for example, India ink, directly to the apparel, because it is apt to soak through the cloth and mar the appearance of the apparel. One relatively popular alternative heretofore has been to apply the marking material to a tape, which is coated on one surface with a heat-sensitive adhesive. The marking material such as ink is applied to the adhesive-free surface of the tape, and after the ink is set, the tape may then be secured to the apparel by pressing it on with a hot iron, for instance. The application of the marking material, such as India ink, to the tape, however, is often a messy affair, requiring a certain degree of skill and practice to produce a legible mark without excessive blur and spreading of the ink laterally of the line it is desired to make. There is also the ever-present danger of ink spills and of inadvertent dropping of the ink from the pen upon the work table or the carpet.

Accordingly, one important object of the present invention is to provide a novel marking tape which successfully overcomes the inconveniences and dangers involved in the use of liquid marking materials such as India ink, and which provides a convenient, simple and rapid means for producing a clearly legible, indelible mark upon a tape which may then be applied to an article of clothing or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a selfcontained marking tape including a heat-sensitive coating on one surface and a pressure-sensitive marking means for producing an indelible mark on its opposite surface; and in general, to provide a novel marking tape which is entirely self-contained and does not require the use of a liquid ink or a pen, and which is highly convenient and simple to use, and inexpensive to manufacture.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a representative embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram on an enlarged scale of a marking tape made according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of this marking tape, illustrating its construction and, in part, how it is used;

PEG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram on an enlarged scale of a marking tape made according to another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of an article of clothing with the marking tape applied thereto.

Briefly, the marking tape of the present invention includes a fabric or paper tape base coated on its lower side with a heat-sensitive adhesive. A marking, transfer plastic film, paper, or fabric strip is superimposed on the upper side of the base tape, and secured in place thereon by an adhesive coated film such as cellophane tape. The transfer strip tape preferably is narrower than the base tape and is medially aligned centrally along the base tape so that edge portions of the adhesive coated film contact and adhere to the upper uncoated surface of the base tape, thereby to retain the transfer marking strip in place on the base tape.

The desired markings are produced on the base tape by pressing upon the transfer marking strip through the cover film with a stylus or other point pressure instru ment or by a typewriter. Thereafter the cover film is stripped from the base tape carrying the transfer marking strip along with it, and leaving the indelible markings on the base tape which were transferred thereto from the marking tape. There is no smudging or blotting problem with regard to getting an ink to wet and to penetrate into the fibers of the base tape, and the markings are clear, sharp and indelible. The base tape may then be conventionally heat-sealed upon any desired article or surface.

Referring now to the drawing, the tape shown therein is essentially a three component assembly. It includes the base tape lib made of paper or of a fabric such as a light-weight canvas or duck having its lower surface coated with a heat-sensitive adhesive 12. It also includes a transfer marking strip 14, which may be made of paper, plastic film, or fabric, and which may be similar to ordinary typewriting carbon paper or ribbon, and which is narrower than the fabric tape 10. This strip 14 is superimposed medially along the fabric tape 10 with its lower, transfer, marking coating 16 confronting and in contact with the upper surface of the fabric tape 10. The third component is the covering 18 made of a suitable plastic film such as cellophane, or of paper or fabric, of equal width with the fabric tape 10, and having pressurescnsitive adhesive coating 20 on its under side. The film 18 is superimposed upon the fabric tape 10 over the transfer marking strip 14 substantially coextensively with the fabric tape 1b and overlapping the transfer strip 14 along both sides so that edge portions 22 of the film tape 18 adhere to the fabric tape 10 along both side edges of the transfer strip 14. The film tape 18 thus holds the transfer strip 14 in position on the fabric tape 10, and also adheres to the transfer strip 14 so that when the film tape 18 is stripped away from the base tape 10, it pulls the transfer strip 14 away along with it.

The upper surface of the base tape 10 will absorb ink or the other marking material carried by the lower surface of the marking strip 14-.

For use, the desired markings are pressed by a handembossing tool, a stylus, a typewriter, a pen, a pencil, or other manual or mechanical writing tool upon the upper, exposed surface of the film tape 18 while the base tape lit is supported upon a relatively smooth surface such as a table top or a typewriter platen. Through the transfer strip 14 the markings are transferred to the upper surface of the base tape 10. The film tape 18 is then stripped from the base tape 10 taking with it the marking, transfer strip 14, and leaving the desired markings on the base tape as best shown in FIG. 2. The base tape 1Q may then be cut to desired length and applied to a garment or other article which it is desired to mark by conventional heat and pressure as by an iron.

Of course, instead of using a strip of adherent cellophane tape, or the like, 18 to secure the marking strip or ribbon 14 to the base tape 10, it is possible to make the marking strip or ribbon 14 with marginal portions 24, as shown in FIG. 3, having heat and pressure-sensitive material applied to their under sides for adhering the strip or ribbon to the base tape 10.

While the invention has been described, then, in connection with one embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention and following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

l. A marking tape comprising (a) a fabric base tape,

(b) a heat-sensitive adhesive coating on the lower surface of said base tape, 7 (c) a film tape superimposed on said base tape and or" substantially the same width as said base tape, the

lower surface of said r'ilm tape being coated with an adhesive, and

(d) a marking transfer strip narrower than said base tape disposed between said base tape and said film tape,

(e) the lower surface of said transfer strip facing away from said film tape and being coated with a pressuresensitive marking medium so that by application of localized pressure upon the upper exposed surface of said film tape desired markings can be made upon the upper surface of said base tape, and

(f) said film tape being readily strippable from said base tape and adhering to said transfer strip so that it carries the transfer strip with it when it is stripped from said base tape.

2. A marking tape comprising (a) a fabric base tape having a heat-sensitive adhesive on its under side and whose upper surface will absorb a marking material,

(11) a marking transfer strip whose undersurface carries a transfer marking material so that by application of localized pressure upon the upper surface of said marking strip desired markings can be made upon the upper surface of said base tape and (c) adhesive means for removably adhering said marking strip to said base strip with the undersurface of said marking strip in engagement with the upper surface of said base strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A MARKING TAPE COMPRISING (A) A FABRIC BASE TAPE, (B) A HEAT-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE COATING ON THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID BASE TAPE, (C) A FILM TAPE SUPERIMPOSED ON SAID BASE TAPE AND OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME WIDTH AS SAID BASE TAPE, THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID FILM TAPE BEING COATED WITH AN ADHESIVE, AND (D) A MARKING TRANSFER STRIP NARROWER THAN SAID BASE TAPE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID BASE TAPE AND SAID FILM TAPE, (E) THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID TRANSFER STRIP FACING AWAY FROM SAID FILM TAPE AND BEING COATED WITH A PRESSURESENSITIVE MARKING MEDIUM SO THAT BY APPLICATION OF LOCALIZED PRESSURE UPON THE UPPER EXPOSED SURFACE OF SAID FILM TAPE DESIRED MARKINGS CAN BE MADE UPON THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BASE TAPE, AND (F) SAID FILM TAPE BEING READILY STRIPPABLE FROM SAID BASE TAPE AND ADHERING TO SAID TRANSFER STRIP SO THAT IT CARRIES THE TRANSFER STRIP WITH IT WHEN IT IS STRIPPED FROM SAID BASE TAPE. 